Race Report – TWMX SLAM 2011

October 02, 2011

With a $5,000 purse, the coveted SLAM belt, and the cover of TransWorld Motocross on the line, eight young pros battled one-on-one at Milestone Ranch MX Park this Saturday to the delight of all who came to enjoy the TWMX SLAM Festival. After a quick qualifying session, Justin Bogle and Chris Plouffe lined up first. Unfortunately for Bogle, however, he could not get his race bike started, and he nearly forfeited his chance to race. Luckily, Geico Honda’s technical coordinator, Kristian Kibby, had another CRF450R on hand, so Bogle still managed to line up. After two swift laps, Bogle took the win, and moved on to the next round. Ben Lamay and Nico Izzi lined up next, but a bike problem kept Izzi from completing a lap, so Lamay moved on to the next round without having to battle for the full two laps.
Rockstar/Valli Motorsports-backed Jimmy Albertson and Nick “Lil Swap” Paluzzi were next to square off. Paluzzi took his nickname to heart for the Slam, wearing his fake dad’s number 48 as well as running his TWMX-backed KX450F. Paluzzi, however, had all of 15 minutes total on the bike, whereas Albertson was looking quite comfortable aboard his YZ450F. Albertson took the holeshot and didn’t look back. Paluzzi nipped at his heels, but Albie ultimately took the checkers. The Yamahas of Jake Canada and Kyle Cunningham bookended the first round. Cunningham fell victim to displacement, as his 250F couldn’t keep up with Canada’s 450.
For round two, Bogle and Lamay went toe-to-toe, and Albertson took on Canada. Bogle outgunned Lamay, and sealed himself a spot in the final. Albertson and Canada, meanwhile, put on a show for the crowd, battling turn after turn throughout the two-lap sprint. Canada took the checkers, but just by the thickness of his fender graphics.

Canada gave Bogle all he had in the final, but the young Fox rider made in two in a row for the Geico Honda team. Check out some photos below, and stay tuned for the video highlights…